Sheffield’s top judge has issued a stark warning to anyone caught growing cannabis
in South Yorkshire - immediate prison awaits. The judge said the number of
cases of production of the Class B drug was on the rise, and he was dealing
with three or four at court every single day. Many defendants were unaware they
would be jailed immediately, he said - even if it was their first court
appearance, they had no previous convictions, and they were growing the drug
for their own use.

Judge Goldsack told one defendant: "Six out of the 14
cases on my list this morning involve producing cannabis on various
scales." And he added a guideline case at the Court of Appeal earlier this
year ruled sentences for cannabis-growing "should be higher than they had
been", and should "always result in immediate imprisonment unless
there are exceptional circumstances". "The Court of Appeal - putting
it in simple language - has said the courts have got to get tougher on
this," he said. "Cannabis is a dangerous drug and those who bring it
into existence must be punished."

Among those jailed at Sheffield Crown Court
were e.g.: A property developer aged 43 was jailed for three years and nine
months after UKP 94,000 worth of skunk cannabis was found athe garage loft
space. Another guy jailed for six months for producing eight cannabis plants
with a street value of UKP 39,140.His mother, who is suffering from a tumour in her eye and was
accompanied by his elderly father, wept in the public gallery as he was sent
down. Detective Superintendent Richard Fewkes, in charge of South Yorkshire
Police's drugs strategy, said over the last five years officers in the county
had seized cannabis with a street value of over UKP 40 million.

USA/Arizona:
More Than 13,000 Arizonans Are Now Card-Carrying:

Exactly five months into the
voter-approved program, more than 13,000 Arizonans now have the state's legal
permission to get high. And at this rate, 32,000 of your friends and neighbors
will be card-carrying medical marijuana users when the system hits the first
anniversary. But state Health Director Will Humble said he cannot predict
ultimately what percentage of Arizonans will become medical marijuana
users.He said, though, there is
no immediate indication that the figure will hit 200,000 any time soon, the
number of people in Colorado -- a state of similar size -- who possess that's
state's medical marijuana card. Humble said there was an initial rush of
applications in the days following the April 14 start of the program, with
applications coming in at the rate of about 100 a day. "It's tapered off a
little bit,' he said.But Humble
said the online application system still is getting close to 70 requests each
day, leading to his extrapolation of 32,000 users by the middle of next April.

Canada/Britsh
Columbia: Grow-Op busts keep crime unit in action

A marijuana grow operation
was busted near Canim Lake on Sept.

8 by the 100 Mile House RCMP detachment and the Cariboo Region
Integrated Marijuana Enforcement task force (CRIME ). 100 Mile House RCMP Staff
Sgt.Brian Coldwell says in its
search of three, separate neighbouring properties, police found 3002 plants and
approximately 30 pounds of dried bud, with an estimated street value of more
than $1 million. Two male Canim Lake residents were arrested and released until
their court date, and Coldwell adds police will be recommending charges.

In the
wake of another successful grow-op bust, CRIME is moving forward in a second
community phase initiative. The completed one-year pilot project ran out early
this month, but recently received the authority and funding to continue.Coldwell says the work undertaken in
the first phase will continue to consult with local governments to look for
legislation changes or other ideas to combat the rising number of marijuana
grow-ops. There are more than 100,000 marijuana plants worth millions of dollars
that have been taken off the streets by CRIME operations in the Cariboo, he
notes.

USA/California:
California Hemp Bill Awaits Governor's Signatur

A bill that would allow
farmers in four California counties to grow industrial hemp has passed the
state legislature and now sits on the desk of Gov. Jerry Brown (D) awaiting his
signature.

The bill, Senate Bill 676, the California Industrial Hemp Farming
Act, passed the Senate earlier this year, then passed the Assembly last week.
Sponsored by state Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), the bill would allow
farmers in those counties to grow industrial hemp for the legal sale of hemp
seed, oil, and fiber to manufacturers. The bill specifies that hemp must
contain less than 0.3% THC, the primary psychoactive ingredient in cannabis,
and farmers must submit their crops to testing before it goes to market. The
eight-year pilot program would end in 2020, but not before the California
attorney general would issue a report on law enforcement impact and the Hemp Industries
Association would issue a report on its economic impact.

Seed type

Dutch Passion advise their customers to reassure themselves of local applicable laws and regulations before germination. Dutch Passion cannot be held responsible for the actions of those who act against laws and regulations that apply in their locality. Cannabis seeds should be kept as collectible souvenirs by anyone in an area where cultivation of cannabis is not legal.